-LRB- CNN Student News -RRB- -- September 8 , 2010

Download PDF maps related to today 's show :

• Colorado • Texas • Japan

Transcript

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT . THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED .

CARL AZUZ , CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR : I 'm Carl Azuz and you 're watching CNN Student News ! Today 's headlines , no commercials . Bringing you stories from all over the U.S. today , and we start things off in Colorado .

First Up : Colorado Wildfires

AZUZ : That 's where authorities are trying to put out a wildfire that 's been burning for a couple days now . The state 's governor has declared a state of emergency . The fire is near the city of Boulder . Around 3,500 people were told to leave their homes , and school was canceled in the area . As of yesterday afternoon , there had n't been any reports of injuries . Planes , like the one you see here , are dropping fire retardant , chemicals that are used to try to put out the fires . The planes can only fly in certain conditions , though , so if the weather gets bad or the wind picks up , that can be problematic . Officials say that more equipment and more firefighters are heading to the area to help out with the efforts there .

Tropical Storm Hermine

AZUZ : These images were taken in Texas on Monday night . They give you an idea of the conditions caused by Tropical Storm Hermine . This storm made landfall near Brownsville . It got weaker as it moved across the state , but Hermine still dumped huge amounts of rain on parts of Texas . Forecasters expected some areas to get up to 10 inches of rain . And in the southern part of the state , Hermine threatened what are called `` storm surges . '' Those can raise water levels ; in this case , maybe as much as 3 feet .

Just the Facts

TOMEKA JONES , CNN STUDENT NEWS : Just the facts . The Quran is the holy book of the Islamic religion . Its name comes from an Arabic term that means `` the recitation . '' The Quran is made up of 114 chapters , which are divided into different verses . It includes specific laws and rules for Islamic society , as well as guidance for Muslims about their daily lives .

Quran Controversy

AZUZ : The Quran is a big part of a protest that 's scheduled for this Saturday . The Dove World Outreach Church in Gainesville , Florida is planning to burn Qurans . Terry Jones , the church 's pastor , says the protest is aimed at Islamic extremists , not at all Muslims . And he acknowledges that it 'll make some people upset .

TERRY JONES , CHURCH PASTOR , DOVE WORLD OUTREACH : We feel that the message that we are trying to send is much more important than people being offended . We believe that we can not back off of the truth of the dangers of Islam , of the dangers of radical Islam just because people are going to be offended .

AZUZ : A lot of people are criticizing this idea to burn Qurans . That includes other religious leaders . Some of them came together in Washington , D.C. yesterday to speak out against the plan .

DR. GERALD DULEY , PASTOR , PROVIDENCE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH , ATLANTA , GA : Religious leaders denounce anti-Muslim bigotry and call for respect for America 's tradition of religious liberty . As religious leaders in this great country , we have come together in our nation 's capital to denounce categorically the derision , misinformation and outright bigotry being directed against America 's Muslim community .

AZUZ : Another group that 's spoken out against this is the U.S. military . In a statement , General David Petraeus -- he 's the U.S. commander in Afghanistan -- said burning Qurans `` could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan . ''

Blog Promo

AZUZ : Well , there are always interesting comments on this , not only from the people involved in the story , but from you . We 've put up a post on our blog at CNNStudentNews.com where you can talk this story , you can talk about how you feel about it .

This Day in History

GRAPHIC :

September 8 , 1504 -- Michelangelo 's `` David '' statue is unveiled in Florence , Italy

September 8 , 1565 -- St. Augustine , Florida , the oldest city in the U.S. , is established

September 8 , 1900 -- A Category 4 hurricane hits Galveston , Texas , killing more than 8,000 people

September 8 , 1974 -- President Gerald Ford pardons former President Richard Nixon for any crimes he may have committed while in office

September 8 , 1998 -- Mark McGwire breaks Roger Maris ' record for the most home runs in a single season

Is This Legit ?

JOHN LISK , CNN STUDENT NEWS : Is this legit ? Worldwide , one out of every 10 adults is illiterate . Not legit . It 's actually twice that many -- one out of every five adults -- who ca n't read or write .

International Literacy Day

AZUZ : Some surprising numbers , and those are part of the reason why the United Nations created International Literacy Day . It 's designed to raise awareness about literacy needs around the world . The theme of this year 's event is `` Literacy and Women 's Empowerment . '' According to the U.N. , two-thirds of the world 's illiterate adults are women . The organization says that literacy is a basic human right because it 's the main tool for learning .

CEO Principal

AZUZ : Sticking with the education theme , different teachers have different teaching methods . You know that ; you 're aware of it ; you see it all the time . In Japan , one principal is running his school like a business . And based on his students ' test scores , it 's working . Kyung Lah shows us how he 's making the grade .

-LRB- BEGIN VIDEO -RRB-

KYUNG LAH , CNN CORRESPONDENT , TOKYO : The school day begins at Wada Junior High with drills ; math drills , as fast as these kids can do them . The theory here : train the brain with drills , much in the same way puzzles may prevent dementia among the elderly . Principal Akihisa Shirota believes it so much , he joins the students .

School curriculum is the basics , plus lessons from real-world business and community leaders to show kids where the basics will take them . Revolutionary for a Japanese school system known for rigidity and formality . But Shirota is not your average principal . He 's not even a trained educator . He 's a businessman who started and then ran publishing at high-tech companies . His lack of experience in this setting is what led the school to recruit him .

`` Principals are people who became teachers right after graduating from college , '' says Shirota . `` That limits any outside the box thinking , '' he explains . He runs the school more like a corporation ; students , his workers . And he keeps track of them .

You know all the names of all the students .

PRINCIPAL AKIHISA SHIROTA , WADA JUNIOR HIGH : No only name , but also their testing score .

LAH : You know their test scores and their names ?

SHIROTA : Yes , yes , yes .

LAH : Every single one .

SHIROTA : All of them .

LAH `` He 's different , '' says a student . `` More like a friend sometimes , but still the boss . '' In the three years since Shirota has been principal , the school claims higher test scores . The result , he believes , of a number of innovations .

It 's 6:40 in the evening and students are still here at Wada Junior High School . The reason why : night school is about to begin . This is an unusual move by this public school to try to boost its test scores . It 's where I meet 15-year-old Koya Nakamora .

`` We start at 7:00 p.m. , '' Nakamora explains . He 's been in school since 8:00 in the morning and leaves at 9:30 at night . Critics call this too tough for a public school , but Shirota says the old must give way to new thinking . And other educators in the country are taking note . The bottom line , says this former businessman , if Japan 's corporations must adapt and compete in a global economy , it only makes sense that , so too , must Japan 's schools . Kyung Lah , CNN , Tokyo .

-LRB- END VIDEO -RRB-

Off the Beaten Path

AZUZ : Well , it is time for our first field trip of the school year : Off the Beaten Path . Turns out , people had a lot of time on their hands over the long Labor Day weekend .

-LRB- BEGIN VIDEO -RRB-

AZUZ : Honestly , who does n't dream of being a champion arm wrestler ? Okay , do n't answer that . Just arm yourself for a battle of the biceps ! At Canada 's National Arm Rasslin ' Championships , it 's about technique . For some , it 's all in the wrist . For some , it 's in speed . And for some , it 's in the face . Would you wan na hold hands with this guy ?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE : When they mean redneck festival , they mean redneck festival .

AZUZ : But we 're not still talking about arm wrestling . We 're talking about this : Pennsylvania 's annual Redneck Festival ! You can ride the bull or barrel . You can shop for jewelry or aluminum .

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE : They sell like hotcakes .

AZUZ : But if a `` haybale obstacle course '' is n't your speed , saddle up for a one-wheeled whirl across the Brooklyn Bridge ! When you 're too coordinated for two wheels , you do n't just want to boast balance ; you want to show stunts . This person had a `` can-do '' attitude . At least people would hear it if he fell . It 's easy to see how all this pedal-spinning can make your head spin .

So without a wheel , why not just turn yourself around at a Hawkeye State Hokey Pokey ? To get this many people over age 8 to participate , you must be trying to set a record . And they did : a Guinness World Record . More than 7,300 hokey pokers putting their hands into history . That 's what it 's all about when you journey Off the Beaten Path .

-LRB- END VIDEO -RRB-

Goodbye

AZUZ : A world record is always cool , even if group dances are a little hokey . And those unicycle guys are wheelie awesome . Time for us to brake for the day ; I know it breaks your heart . CNN Student News returns tomorrow . Have a great one . Talk to you then !

@highlight

Learn about efforts to contain a wildfire burning across parts of Colorado

@highlight

Consider a controversy surrounding a protest that involves the Quran

@highlight

Head to Japan to visit a school that the principal runs like a business

@highlight

Use the Daily Discussion to help students understand today 's featured news stories